


I'm In Love With Your Body

by FreakoftheWood



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-10-13 12:00:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10513353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakoftheWood/pseuds/FreakoftheWood
Summary: Tony Stark is mute and his caregiver, Alice, learns to interpret his body language.





	1. Meeting Mr. Stark

**Author's Note:**

> My best friend told me to write about her to get out of my writing slump and this is what I came up with. Constructive criticism and feedback is much appreciated!

The doors to the elevator open and I walk through, careful not to touch anything. A few paces in, I stop to assess my surroundings and glance at the nearest exits, planning a speedy escape if necessary. You can never be too careful, especially in a brand new place. Suddenly, a voice from above startled me out of my thoughts before I even looked at a third of the room. It seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. 

"Hello Miss Rose and welcome to the Stark Tower. Mr. Stark is currently in his lab but will be up shortly to greet you." I glance around in confusion in futile attempts to find the source of the voice. There was nothing but ceiling panels. That definitely set me on edge. 

"Um, thank you...?" I trails off, waiting for the mystery voice to tell me its name. If it even would. 

"My name is Jarvis, ma'am. My sincere apologies."

"Thanks, Jarvis. It's no worries I guess." I frown in confusion. Who the hell am I talking to? WHAT the hell am I talking to? With a shake of the head, I begin to walk again, still not touching anything. I don't want to be surprised by a random booby trap. Wandering through the main space, the kitchen, and the bar area, I keep mental note of how many bottles there are on the shelves. Stark definitely likes his alcohol. I approach a wall of glass windows and stare outside, admiring the view. Rolling hills lined with buildings with a bright blue sky; the perfect picturesque view. Heavy footsteps approaching cause me to tense as I whip around, looking intently for any source of harm. A shadow approaches me from around a corner and I hide just around the bend, waiting, keys in hand still. I hold my car key between two of my fingers and get ready in case I have to fight. The shadow gets closer and closer and before I know it, it's on top of me. I look into the face of a familiar man when the voice from earlier startles me once more. I jump back, fists up in defense. 

"Mr. Stark, this is your caretaker, Miss Alice Rose. Would you care to show her to her room?" Mr. Stark? Tony looked me in the face with a blank expression, eyes guarded. His body was relaxed, almost languid, but the way he held himself reminded me of a snotty brat raising their nose in distaste. With a brief once-over, Tony turned his back and kept walking, motioning something with his hands that I didn't understand. Sign language maybe. Why didn't he speak? My head tilts as I watch him leave and I lower my hands, relaxing my fist. THAT is Tony Stark? Damn. I expected better.

"Well, he's a real treat." I murmur, annoyed. With a roll of my eyes and a deep sigh, I look up towards the ceiling. "I think I can find it with your help, Jarvis. I'm sure there's no lack of spare bedrooms in this place. It's gigantic. " I could hear the smile in his voice when Jarvis spoke next. I wonder if he was real. 

"You'd be right about that, Miss Rose." I smile and shake my head, making my way to the elevator. This is going to be one hell of a time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I have been here for three and a half weeks and I've seen Tony what, five times in total? Even that might be generous." I flop down on one of the couches that I've claimed as my own, cradling a bowl of ramen. In that time, I've also learned that Jarvis is an AI. It makes our first encounter much more understandable. 

"Are you upset, Miss Rose?" Jarvis asks after a beat of silence. "This is normal for Mr. Stark. In fact, I think he likes you if you've seen him that many times." I huff and roll my eyes, stuffing my face grumpily. Jarvis doesn't judge me. Even if he does he doesn't vocalize it, which I appreciate.

"I'm not upset really, just confused. Why am I his caretaker if I don't even take care of him?" I take another scoop of noodles and shove it in my mouth. "And I told you to cut it with the 'Miss Rose' shit. It's just Alice." My mouth is full when I speak so I'm not sure if Jarvis completely understood me.

"Apologies, Alice." I smile affectionately in the general direction of up. Jarvis has been a true gentleman since the moment I arrived. He makes living in this lonely tower bearable. Especially since most of the time I'm all by myself.

"Speaking of. It's the man of the hour." Tony walks into the room covered in grime and oil. I offer a small smile and he nods in return. That's the most I've ever gotten from the man.

"Having a good day?" I ask, tentative. He looks at me with a curious look in his eyes for a few moments. And then, he shakes his head no. I open my mouth to speak but he walks away once more. I get up and follow him, bowl of ramen forgotten for now. He goes into the kitchen and heads straight to the coffee pot. I very swiftly learned to always keep coffee in supply. Otherwise Tony would get cranky and that's not something I'd like to see At least, that's what Jarvis told me. I stand at the edge of the doorway and peek into the kitchen at Tony. He slammed open cabinets looking for a cup to pour his drink in. He finds one that meets his satisfaction that's just above his reach. As he stretches to wrap his fingers around it, it slips and falls to the ground, shattering around his feet. He looks down with slumped shoulders. I quietly made my way over to him and gently placed a hand on his back. Tony turned to me, tense, and I briefly saw watery, bloodshot eyes before he tucked himself into my neck and cried. I was shocked but I quickly shoved that aside. He clearly needed someone right now. I wrap my arms tightly around the man, my heart breaking for him. I may have only "known" him a short time, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch a person cry. 

I hold him close and tight, rubbing his back as sobs wrack his frame. He still doesn't speak, just cries and cries and cries. I eventually slide us to the floor and Tony curls up beside me, head in my lap. Minutes, hours pass by. It all blurs together but eventually Tony quiets down. However, he does go rigid; all of his muscles tense and he sits up almost angrily. 

"Tony?" I reach out confusedly and take his hand. He yanks it away and doesn't look back as he stands up and walks away from me, back stiff. I can't lie: I'm hurt. He randomly decides to trusts me enough to let me see him cry but then up and leaves? With not even a glance behind him? I sigh, bringing my knees to my chest.

"Okay Tony." I lean my head back and let it hit the cabinet behind me. "You win."


	2. The Confusing Tony Stark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice learns that Tony has not only walls, but a moat, a bridge, a troll, a password, and piranhas. And then there's Rhodey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really rusty and I need to brush up on my Tony knowledge so excuse any out of character mistakes!! Constructive criticism appreciated!

A man showed up one day while I was on my couch, talking to Jarvis as usual. We had been discussing my worry about Tony and how confused I felt.

"He just... Left. Without another word. It's like he's bipolar sometimes. I don't understand him at all." 

"Sir doesn't completely understand the combination of emotions and others." 

"Well that part is obvious. I just don't understand how he can just... Ignore them. Like he can just shut himself off completely."

"That's Tony for ya." A strange voice coming from across the room startled me. This caused me to chuck the nearest thing at it. That happened to be my spoon. With a full scoop of cookies and cream ice cream on it. It hit the stranger square in the nose, splattering the ice cream all over his face.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" I immediately turned beet red and stood up, grabbing my napkins and walking over to him. "Here, let me help." I begin wiping his face off. A few moments later I realize something.

"Oh my god you probably want to do this yourself." Another beat. "Oh my god you're a complete stranger. I am... so sorry."

"It's fine, ma'am. I just wanted to check up on you guys." Stranger says with a soft smile as he wipes the rest of the cream off of his face. "And Tony. I don't have the time to stop by as regularly as I'd like."

"Nice to see you again Lieutenant Rhodes." Jarvis says politely. "Sir is in his lab, as usual. It has been approximately thirty-one hours since Sir has last slept."

"Thanks, J." The lieutenant salutes at me before turning back around and walking towards the elevator. As he reaches to press the down button, the doors open.

"Speaking of." Tony smiles brightly when he sees Lt. Rhodes and almost runs to him, wrapping his arms around the taller man tightly. 

"Hey, Tones. It's good to see you buddy." Tony's smile widens as he squeezes his friend tightly, earning an 'oof.' "Who's your friend here?" They engage in a conversation only the two of them can understand. Tony signing- I've learned that it is indeed sign language- and the Lieutenant speaking back to him. 

"Lieutenant Rhodes has been Sir's friend since Sir was in college." Jarvis informs me. His voice is quiet, almost as if he's standing right beside me, whispering in my ear.

"Tony Stark has emotions? And is capable of managing a long term friendship? THAT'S new." I pause and chuckle. "Who woulda thunk."

I make an impressed sound before awkwardly ducking my head and walking backwards slowly. These two clearly need some time to catch up. I turn to leave when I catch Tony looking at me. He looks like he wants to come to me, to say something, but I knew that was impossible. Tony doesn't speak, ever, end of story. Jarvis wouldn't tell me why. I wonder if Rhodes would?

"Well. I'll leave you to it." I wave goodbye as I walk away, leaving Tony's odd look behind me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Rhodey's POV:

"You can't keep pushing her away, Tone. " A raised eyebrow with a shake of the head, followed by an eye roll. The perfect 'says who?' look.

"Says me." Another eye roll. "Tony, she's trying to help you. Ever since Pepper left, you've been seriously neglecting yourself. I can see your ribs, Tone." I give him my best parental look and he glares at me. He turns his back to me and continues to make his coffee. 

"Invite her to dinner tonight." A loud, sharp laugh. "If you don't, I will." A look that says 'I dare you.' I smirk and open my mouth to ask Jarvis where Alice is when Tony sighs in defeat. He holds his hands up as if to say 'fine' and walks out of the kitchen.

"Thanks for the coffee!" I call after him and a laugh bursts from my chest as he runs back into the kitchen and grabs his cup. He looks at me with hurt and betrayal, cradling the mug close to his chest as he leaves the room again. A small glimpse of the old Tony comes through and I smile. If only he knew who hired the girl. He'd never forgive me. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Alice's POV:

A knock on my door brings my attention back to the real world. I place my bookmark my book and close it, scooting out from underneath the covers. Padding to the door and opening the door a crack I peek out into the hallway. Tony is standing there, paper and marker in hand. Opening the door fully, I tilt my head to the side in confusion. 

"Hey, Tony. What's up?" He hands me his paper and turns on his heel, promptly walking away.

"Why am I not surprised." I shake my head and open the paper to read what it says. 

'Dinner tonight with Rhodey and I  
Black Tap  
6:15  


I shake my head and sigh. I will never understand him.

"Well." I say to myself. "I guess I have dinner plans. Better get ready."


	3. A Stark's Dinner

A nice pair of dress pants, a button up blouse, and flats; normal every day makeup, a nicer necklace, and the tiniest dab of perfume. Now I'm ready for my dinner date with Rhodey and Tony. It wasn't technically a date because A) Romantic feelings are outside of Stark's capability and B) Rhodey is coming. Plus, who has feelings for Stark? Not me! Anyways. This is definitely a weird change of demeanor on Tony's end but I'm not going to question it. Anything he gives willingly, I take. Not having to pry information out of him was a nice change. As his caretaker, any information I can get on him will help me understand better. With a shake of the head, I open my door to see Tony standing there looking down at his feet. His hair is slicked back, goatee trimmed and shaped to perfection. His cologne made my knees weak. I noticed a tiny spot of white amongst the dark hair. How? Because I was staring. I'll admit it, I was staring. Before I can think, I reach up to wipe it away. Gently, carefully, holding my breath as if breathing may scare him away. He's so close, closer than he's ever been. Tony jumps at the contact, surprised. His eyes widen and I swear his breath hitches. My body acting of its own accord, my hand caresses his cheek. Tony leans into it and his eyes flutter, unsure of whether or not they want to remain open. Confusion flashes in them briefly. The clearing of a throat causes Tony to rip himself away from me and stand up tall. I blush furiously as my hand drops like a rock to my side. Tender moment, gone. Was it tender, really, or was it just my imagination? Tony Stark doesn't show emotion towards anyone except Rhodey. That much was obvious, painfully so. Why would he make an exception for me?

"Alice? Tony? Are you ready to go?" A kind voice startles me out of my thoughts. Rhodey is looking at me with a teasing look in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah! I'm ready. Sorry, I zoned out for a second. Let's go! Your girl is hungry." I walk silently down the hall, trailing behind the two men. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy drops us off at the entrance to Black Tap and Rhodey tells me to wait in the car. I look at Happy and he shrugs. "I dunno, Alice. Rhodey is an odd one." I stare curiously at the men standing outside of the car. Rhodey is speaking to Tony and Tony is shaking his head, glaring. His face his faintly flushed. Was he blushing or was it the sun setting behind him? The orange glow creates a haze around the edges of his body. This conversation goes on for a few moments before Tony pouts and turns back towards the car. He opens my door and holds out a hand. I stare at it, confused. Tony sighs and rolls his eyes, beckoning me to come on. I take his hand and step out of the car, shutting the door behind me. Happy drives off, muttering something under his breath that I can't hear. I yelp slightly as an arm snakes around my waist. I glance at Tony and he's smiling wide. It was then I notice the flashes of paparazzi cameras. I put on my best smile in attempts to hide my confusion. Resting my hand on Tony's chest, right over his heart, I notice it's beating like crazy. I wonder why. After a few minutes of pictures, Rhodey "regretfully" drags us away and into the building. This is going to be an interesting night.


	4. The Aftermath

Tuesday night dinners with Rhodey became a regular thing. Well, as regular as they could be with everyone's schedule being so crazy all the time. But at least once a month, no matter what, we cleared a Tuesday and went out to eat. The place differed from time to time which was great. It wasalso really nice to see that side of Tony, and to get to know Rhodey as well. He's an amazing dude; I can see why Tony looks up to him. I decide to mention it.

"You know Rhodey, you're pretty damn amazing. I don't know you very well yet but from what I do know, you're just... so great. I can see why Tony loves you so much." I feel a kick at my ankle under the table. Offended, I look at Tony, who is obviously the culprit. A slightly guilty grin crosses his face. 

"What the hell, dude?" Tony raises his eyebrows innocently and forces himself to bite back another smirk. I roll my eyes and scoff, kicking him gently back. "I'm just being honest, here. You're the one with the ego." I tease. 

"I appreciate that Alice. It's nice to hear someone actually cares about me." Rhodey pointedly says to Tony, laughing at what he signs. These boys.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhodey leaves us at our car, saying he has business up the street he needs to handle and that he'll just take a cab home. Tony tries to insist on him riding with us but he politely yet firmly declines.

"I'll see you two soon." With a wink and a salute he's off, hands shoved in his pockets. 

"Well, I guess we'd better head out." I say, absentmindedly taking Tony's elbow and guiding him to the car. "Happy is waiting and you know he hates waiting." Tony smiles and lets me lead him away. 

The car ride is comfortably silent, warmth radiating off of Tony. He's sitting closer than he usually does but I don't mind at all. It's comforting to know that he's there with me, so close, always. All I had to do was shift a little and we would be touching. I look at him out of the corner of my eye and my heart flutters. Why did it flutter? He's just a guy. Technically my boss. My boss's hair is slightly disheveled from the wind outside; he hasn't trimmed his goatee in days so it's mussed and uneven. I fight back the urge to run my fingers through it, smooth it down. I don't want to scare him off, not after him opening up to me after all of these months. I would do anything to keep things this way between us. Whatever 'this' is,is nice. It's a growing friendship that I'm perfectly happy with. The car stops and we exit, walking together into the tower, glowing in the night. The city lights are almost like stars, the tower like the moon. Our hands brush occasionally because we're so close but neither of us mind. I dont even really think anything of it. We enter the tower, Tony holding open the door for me. I smile in thanks and head inside. As I press the elevator button to begin to head to my room Tony stops me, his hand gripping my wrist hesitantly. I look to him with a furrowed brow.

"Yes?" A soft squeak emits involuntarily as Tony presses me against the elevator door, bodies touching in every way. His touch catches my body on fire and I give in, letting the heat overwhelm me. His mouth is on mine, the coarse hair on his face rubbing against my own skin creating a pleasant friction. Soft lips are all I can think of, coaxing movement that I can't control. When he pulls back, I am breathless. Tony smiles a small smile, almost bashful, and the elevator dings. It startles me out of my daze. 

'Goodnight Alice,' he signs to me as he ushers me back into the elevator. The doors close and up I go, flustered and with a nest of butterflies lodged in my stomach.

"Goodnight."


	5. Apology

The smoke alarm went off at an ungodly hour the next morning. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, moving on autopilot to the kitchen. Knowing Tony, he was probably trying to tinker with the appliances and caught something on fire.

"J, what's going on?" I mumble as the elevator takes me down.

"I'm afraid I don't know." I look up at the ceiling suspiciously. "You know everything." Before I can continue my accusation the elevator dings. "Saved by the bell." I make my way sleepily to the source of the blaring alarm which conveniently turns off as soon as I walk in. Tony is standing in front of the sink, a pan smoking under running water. Yellow goo is running down the side of the island, toast burnt beyond saving is piled high in the trash can.

"Tony?" I look at the man to see him flushed a dark shade of embarrassed, head immediately bowing in shame. "Why didn't you come wake me up if you were hungry? Or get Jarvis to wake me up?" I walk to him and touch his shoulder, concern waking me up. "There are always leftovers in the fridge, too." When Tony doesn't start to sign to me I sigh and run my fingers through his hair soothingly. He leans into the touch and closes his eyes. His lashes are wet.

"Tone?" I say his name softly. "Why are you crying?" Again no answer. My free hand wraps around Tony's waist and pulls him into me, tucking his head into my chest. "It's alright. Take your time." He stays silent but I can feel the front of my pajama shirt dampening. A low croaking noise came from Tony and I frowned. Was it a cough? A burp? I tried to put it in the back of my mind but it came again, louder this time. I pulled back and looked at Tony with confusion.

"Are you okay Tony?" Absentmindedly I wiped away the tears that lingered on his cheeks. He opened his mouth but hesitated, half closing it. I stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt whatever moment he was having.

"S..Sor..Sorry." Tony struggled very visibly to get the word out. It broke my heart that the first word he felt the need to speak to me was an apology.

"Oh, babe, there's nothing to be sorry for. Nothing at all I promise." I glanced at his lips briefly before making eye contact, asking permission. It took a moment but Tony nodded. I leaned in and kissed him softly, trying my best to convey my emotions through the action.

_There's nothing to be sorry for_

_It's adorable that you tried to cook even though we both know you're terrible at it_

_Everything is okay_

 

 

 

 

_I love you_


End file.
